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Antique pieces are really nice to look at specially those that are rare ones. We always treasure antique pieces and sometimes in our zealousness in taking care of them, we unknowingly ruined it instead. The following are some tips on how to take care of your antique pieces.

Proper cleaning
Cleaning some antiques make them more nice to look at and enhances its beauty but mind you, not all antique pieces will benefit from cleaning. For example, cleaning the “patina” from a really hard to find Roycroft copper lamp can diminish the value greatly, while gently washing a rare piece of Depression glass won’t hurt it a bit. Before doing any cleaning on your antique pieces, ask an expert first on what to do and not to do or you can do research on how to clean a particular piece of antique.

Refinishing antique furniture
Refinishing antique furniture is a no-no. If you remove the original finish of the furniture, then its value will be diminished greatly. It will be wise to read up on how to maintain an antique furniture or you can leave it to the professionals.

Displaying techniques
Antique pieces are very susceptible to fading, cracking and yellowing when they are exposed to direct sunlight. You should display your pieces in a dimly lit area and if you must, you can showcase it in a sunny room but make sure that it is not placed in direct sunlight and for only short periods of time.

Restoration
Restoring an antique piece to its original beauty is a good idea but doing it yourself is a big mistake. Take your piece to an expert on antique restoration instead. You can do the minor things like glueing a stone back on a brooch ( use GS Hypo Cement) or sewing back a rag dolls button eye but always leave the major restorations to the expert or else you’ll end up regretting what you’ve done.

Proper storage
The perfect environment for an antique piece is an environment that has controlled light, temperature and humidity level, but most of the times, it can’t be done or is not feasible. Keep heirlooms out of unusually damp areas like basements and overly hot areas like attics. In general, if you store your treasures where you’re comfortable, they’ll be comfortable too.

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